Policies,

Standards Requirements
for Licensing Birthing Clinic and
PhilHealth Accreditation
Presented by:
BETTY LAO DIONELA, RM
MERCY REYES, RM

Rules and Regulations Governing the New

Classication of Hospitals and Other
Health Facilities in the Philippines

Health

Secretary
Enrique T. Ona declared
that the new guidelines
on the classification of
hospitals
and
other
health
facilities
will
result
to
improved
health services for the
people.

Under

Healths

the

Department of
(DOH)

Administrative
Order
2012-0012,
signed last July 18, 2012, a
health facility must have,
among others, an operating
room to be considered a
Level 1 hospital.

The AO conforms to the

mandate of Republic Act No.
4226, the Hospital Licensure
Act,
which
requires
a
hospital to have surgical
and ancillary services for its
operation to be permitted.

Pursuant to Section 16 of Republic Act No.

4226 otherwise known as HospitalLicensure
Act, The licensing agency shall study and
adopt a system of classifying hospitals in
the Philippines as to:
(1) general or special;
(2) service capabilities;
(3) size or bed capacity and
(4) classification of hospital whether
training or not.

Regulation

of
health
facilities
takes
into
account their service
capacities
and
compliance
with
standards for manpower,
equipment, construction
and physical facilities.

It

is of the essence that

the
actual
situation
betaken
into
consideration in dealing
with
the
current
classification of hospitals
and other health facilities.

The

previous
DOH
guidelines did not require
Level 1 hospitals to have
an operating room and
those health facilities with
functioning
operating
rooms were considered
Level 2 hospitals.

Health

facilities
previously classified
as Level 1 hospitals
without
operating
rooms will now be
considered as primary
care facilities.

research
project
was
therefore undertaken by the
Department of Health (DOH)
through the Bureau of Health
Facilities and Services (BHFS)
to map out the services and
equipment available in all
hospitals and to get an
overview of the typology of
the
existing
hospital

Knowledge

of
the
distribution
ofservices
and equipment would
enable DOH in improving
access to the much
needed
servicesin
keeping with the goal of
Kalusugang
Pangkalahatan/

In addition, this would

guide the health agency in
future
policy
direction.
Consequently, in support
of thestudy, on April 25,
2011
DOH
issued
Department Memorandum
No. 2011-0135 entitled
ASurvey of the Services

 Partial

survey
results
indicate variations in the
service characteristics of
hospitals not only among
the different categories but
also
within
the
same
category based on the
facilities and services they
provide.

As

of 2011, there were

733 government and
1,088 private hospitals,
with 372 government
and 399 private Level 1
hospitals under the old
classification.

 With

the new classification

of hospitals and other health
facilities, we are ensuring
that all our hospitals have
the minimum capacity to
render emergency surgical
care, such as cesarean
sections
and
appendectomies, Ona said.

Further,

the latest category

of Level 1 hospitals is not
consistent with Section 8 of
RA.4226 on Minimum
Standards and
Construction of a Hospital
which states in part that

 Inorder

that a permit to construct a

hospital can be issued, the hospital
plan shall provide sufficient bed
space for the hospital bed capacity
proposed, a laboratory room,
operatingroom including work
rooms for sterilization, anesthesia
preparation, x-ray room,
pharmacy,dispensary or out-patient
department, delivery room, isolation
room, autopsy room or morgue....

Under

the

ongoing
classification,
provision
of
surgical
and
ancillary services

The

move
aims
to
upgrade the services
offered in health facilities
and come up with a
more
homogeneous
category
for
health
facilities
with
similar
services.

The

new classification
of health facilities will
simplify
licensing
systems
and
processes and make
the
regulatory
scheme
more
effective
and

 Related

issuances such as, but not

limited to, the following, may no
longer be relevantand realistic
especially on the aspects of
manpower and equipment, to wit,
AdministrativeOrder (A.O.) No. 70-A
s. 2002 entitled Revised Rules and
Regulations
Governing
theRegistration,
Licensure
and
Operation of Hospitals and Other
Health Facilities in thePhilippines,

 A.O.

No. 147 s. 2004 and A0. No.

2005 0029, which are
Amendments to A0. No. 70-A s.
2002.
Thus, this Order rescinds the
foregoing issuances in line with
theobjective of health regulatory
reforms to ensure access to safe,
quality
and
affordable
healthfacilities and services

Private

and public lying-in

clinics and similar
facilities that help assist
women in giving birth are
now required to secure a
license to operate from
the Department of Health
(DOH),

 The

Department of Health
(DOH) has reminded all
private and public lying-in
clinics and other birthing
homes nationwide that they
are now required to secure a
license to operate (LTO) from
the agency before they can
apply for permits from local
government units (LGUs).

 Maternity

clinics now
required to secure
operating licenses, health
department says

-"Notifications" have been sent to clinics and

birthing homes in Metro Manila so that they
can comply with the new requirement,
Department of Health (DOH) National Capital
Region director Dr. Eduardo Janairo said.

Under

Rules and Regulations

Governing
the
New
Classification of Hospitals and
Other Health Facilities in the
Philippines,
operators
of
clinics are required to secure
licenses to operate before
they can apply for permits
from local government units.

Birthing Home
a

health facility that provides

maternity service on pre-natal
and post-natal care, normal
spontaneous delivery and care of
new born babies. (AO 2005-0029)
It may be hospital based or nonhospital based.

homelike facility that

provides
maternity
service on pre-natal and
post-natal care, normal
spontaneous
delivery,
and care of newborn
babies.

 Staff

shall be trained in Essential

Intrapartum and Newborn Care
(EINC) in accordance with DOH
A.O. No. 2009 0025 entitled
Adopting Policies and
Guidelines on Essential Newborn
Care and Basic Emergency
Obstetrics and Newborn Care
(BEmONC) in accordance with
DOH A.O. No. 2011

It

also offers Newborn Screening

services for heritablediseases and
Newborn Hearing Screening;
serves as a Mother-Baby Friendly
Health Facility;BEmONC capable for
non-hospital based facilities, and
BEmONC and CEmONC capable
forhospital based facilities.
Family Planning and Health
Education are also included in its
services

National

Standards for
Birth Centers were
established to provide a
tool for measuring the
quality of services
provided to childbearing
families in birth centers.

Quality

is a relative
term defined by
predetermined
characteristics,
traits, properties,
or attributes.

Therefore,

quality
improvement is a continuing
process toward achieving
the predetermined
characteristics, traits,
properties, or attributes
defined by the standards for
birth centers.

Under

the new guidelines

indicated in the DOH
Administrative Order (AO)
No. 2012-0012, infirmaries
and birthing homes are
required to be licensed by
the DOH through its
regional offices.

The

order was aimed to

strengthen the capability
of birthing homes through
a well-developed structural
foundation, well-defined
system of operation, and
management of a duly
licensed and skilled.

GENERAL GUIDELINES
A birthing facility shall be managed
and supervised by any of the following
healthcare professional(s) who have
complied with the minimum and valid
licensing requirements.
1.
Physician
~
ObstetricianGynecologist,
Pediatrician,
Family
Medicine Physician, MHO or GP
2. Midwife .

 Every

birth must be attended

by skilled birth attendants
pursuant to AD. No. 2008
0029 Section III, 3. . Every
staff of the birthing home,
including its affiliate
specialists shall advocate and
adhere to DOH policies and
standards on maternal and
child health care

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES
The midwife shall possess, but
not limited to, the following
requirements:
A valid PRC license;
A valid PhilHealth ID or
Certificate as Engaged
Professional Health Care
Provider;

Certificate of Good Standing from

the Accredited
ProfessionalOrganization (APO) of
Midwives of PRC and/or any DOH
recognized association of midwives;
A Certificate of Attendance in a oneday Quality Assurance Course
(formerlyEINC Orientation Workshop)
on Essential Intrapartum and
Newborn Care (EINC);
A Certificate of Completion of
training on BEmONC;

 Whenever

the health facility is

manned by a midwife, the
management of the birthing home
shall show proof of a valid MOA with
an Obstetrician and a Pediatrician or
a general physician with a Certificate
of Completion oftraining on BEmONC
subject to the foregoing provisions
under Section II. B.2.
a. A valid Certificate of Training in
BLS from an authorized training
provider

license to operate would

also become a requisite for
Philippine Health Insurance
Corp. accreditation as per
PhilHealth Circular No.
0033, s. 2013 by Jan. 1,
2015.

Summary

The directive is one of the governments

interventions in connection with the United
Nations Millennium Development Goal (UNMDG) to which the Philippines is one of the
signatory. It addresses the No. 4 and number 5
goals of reducing child mortality and
improving maternal health respectively.
By ensuring that all birthing homes are duly
licensed, we can lessen maternal mortality
and safeguard the delivery of newborn babies
not only in urban areas but also in rural areas.

THANK

YOU

FOR
LISTENING!!!